It has been nearly a year and a half since the war on Gaza, the displacement and extermination of its people, and yet the world continues to stand by, either unrealizing or indifferent to the horror experienced by more than two million human beings.

A troubling silence followed the loud protests of people from all corners of the globe, protests that were suppressed, and their leaders threatened and imprisoned. Yes, democracy and human rights failed the Gaza-test.

What are the details…

Palm Sunday: A Passage from the Earthly Jerusalem to the Heavenly Jerusalem

Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

It is a Feast of self-purification and the renewal of the inner temple... It is a feast of returning to innocence and simplicity... It is a holy season in which we open our hearts to welcome Jesus Christ, who entered as a King into the Earthly Jerusalem to lift us today to the Heavenly Jerusalem. It is the Palm Sunday, the seventh Sunday of Lent and the last before Easter.

Everyone, without exception, both young and old, clergy and laypeople, joyfully shout with hearts full of hope, "Hosanna in the highest, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"

On this day, Churches are filled with believers, especially children, who carry candles and prepare with their families to participate in the Palm Sunday procession after attending the Divine Liturgy. This is a symbol of the path of Jesus Christ in the streets of Jerusalem.

Besides the traditions and popular customs that take place for this occasion, we must remember the event of Palm Sunday, which brings much joy, renewal, and faith. It is the day when Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem after leaving Bethany six days before Easter, and walked to the Temple. The crowds of people spread their clothes before Him, while others laid palm branches as a sign of celebration.

The MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs in a Lecture at Balamand: “It is essential to preserve heritage and sacred sites. The issue must move within the international conscience, regardless of religious and ethnic affiliations”

As part of the lecture series at the St. John of Damascus - Institute of Theology in Balamand, Lebanon, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs gave a lecture entitled " Witnesses and Martyrs in Anatolia," in the presence of Rt. Archimandrite Yaacoub Khalil, Dean of the Institute and President of the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (A.T.M.E), on Wednesday, April 8, 2025, in the Patriarch Ignatius IV Hall at the Institute campus.

The lecture was attended by Directors and Professors from the Saint John of Damascus Theological Institute, along with a delegation of students, Professor Laure Abi Khalil, Coordinator of the "Dialogue, Social Cohesion, and Human Dignity" program at MECC, as well as the MECC Media who conducted many interviews with the attendees, and interested participants in the topic.

During the lecture, the Secretary General Professor Michel Abs mentioned that he began his work on minorities in 1980 and conducted many studies on the massacres of the Syriacs and Armenians. He also researched the massacres of the Antiochian and Anatolian Greeks, which expanded his understanding through various readings. He adopted the term "Antiochian Levant" to describe where the Church was established and where the Apostle Paul's journeys occurred.

The Middle East Council of Churches and its Partners Contribute to Empowering Youth and Developing Their Skills

Believing in the importance of supporting and empowering youth by developing their leadership skills and contributing to building healthy communities, the Theological and Ecumenical Department at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) continues to implement the "Youth Leadership Building" program in Lebanon. A new session of this program was organized in March at the ABTS Moore Center – Mansourieh, with the participation of a group of youth and leaders, accompanied by specialized speakers Reem El Khoury and Abd Zein El Din.

Noting that this program is held in partnership with Youth for Christ (YFC), Kerk in Actie (KIA), Ithraa Center in Lebanon, the Bible Society - Lebanon and the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF).

The day began with light breakfast snacks, offering a moment of fellowship where participants could reconnect and meet one another again. A series of outdoor icebreakers followed, setting a warm and welcoming tone for the day.

As part of supporting rural communities and enhancing food security, MECC team, through its Service and Relief Department – Diakonia, carried out an initiative to distribute winter vegetable seeds and agricultural tools to the residents of Al-Quniyya village in rural Dara’a. The aim was to support family stability and improve economic livelihoods.

A total of 895 families benefited from the initiative, including households where women are the sole breadwinners.

The distributed seeds included: fava beans, garlic, spinach, lettuce, radish, parsley, coriander, and onions. The agricultural tools provided included: shovel, grape hoe, mulch, hose, water tap, garden rake. In addition, the families received Balanced fertilizer, two water tanks and had modern irrigation systems installed to ensure the sustainability of agricultural production.

The beneficiaries also attended training sessions on proper farming techniques, how to deal with plant diseases, and practices that help increase crop yields. Moreover, an agricultural engineer visited the beneficiary families on a monthly basis to monitor the crops and provide necessary guidance to improve production quality.

Father Salim Daccache, Rector of Saint Joseph University in Beirut, inaugurated the Job Fair at the Faculty of Human Sciences campus, in the Damascus Road - Beirut.

The aim of this job fair is to serve as a bridge between students and employers, as well as to encourage individual initiatives and the establishment of private and startup companies.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) was present at the job fair, introducing its work, mission, and the opportunities available within its scope.

As part of the Jubilee Year "Hope Does Not Disappoint," the Episcopal Committee for Media Outlets and the Catholic Media Center organized a pilgrimage for journalists to the Monastery of Saint Anthony Qozhaya in Northern Lebanon.

The trip began with a Prayer procession to the Monastery. After learning about the Monastery’s rich and ancient history, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated, and presided over by Bishop Antoine Nabil Andari, the Head of the Episcopal Commission for Media Outlets, with the participation of Monsignor Abdo Abou Kassem, the Director of the Catholic Media Center.

This was followed by a press conference in which Andari spoke about the importance of the Jubilee Year, which carries noble and ethical meanings, emphasizing that every journalist has the responsibility to convey these values in any institution they belong to.

Monsignor Abou Kassem also outlined the upcoming activities for the year, aiming to strengthen hope and love within Christian media work.

After the recitation of the Media Creed, it was signed by all attendees.

As part of its efforts to enhance the capabilities and skills of its team, the Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) participated in a training course for journalists and media professionals on International Humanitarian Law at the Fouad Shehab Command and Staff College in Rihaniye, Baabda.

The training was organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Beirut Mission and the Directorate of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights in the Lebanese Army, and under the patronage of the Minister of Information Dr. Paul Morcos. It covered topics related to International Humanitarian Law and the groups protected by it during armed conflicts.

The training also highlighted the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross, in addition to the scope and tasks of international criminal law, how to manage combat operations, and the protection of journalists during armed conflicts.

At the end of the training, certificates were distributed to the participants.

A Coordination Meeting Between the World Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches

On the occasion of the 1700th Anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325, the World Council of Churches (WCC) continues its preparations for organizing the WCC Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, which will be held around the theme “Where Now for Visible Unity?”, between 24 and 28 October 2025, at the Papal Logos Center in Wadi El Natroun - Egypt.

In this context, the World Council of Churches (WCC) held an online coordination meeting with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) to follow up on preparations for this conference, which will bring together international Church Leaders and Theologians to discuss topics related to faith and unity through many Theological, Ecumenical, and cultural activities and events.

The meeting was attended by the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, the MECC Associate Secretary General Mrs. Seta Hadeshian, the Director of the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department Fr. Antoine Al-Ahmar, and the Executive and Administrative Assistant to the Secretary General Mrs. Caroline Haddad.

Attendees were also the Director of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order Dr. Andrej Jeftić, and WCC Programme Executive for the Middle East Mrs. Carla Khijoyan.

Humanity Is in Danger!

Exclusive: Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

In a world immersed in fleeting glories, hate speech, violence, hostility, and discrimination... amidst all the noise surrounding humanity due to endless wars, conflicts, and crises, the efforts to achieve change remain unclear in the face of the tragedies witnessed around the world. Human rights have been stripped away, and human dignity is lost!

Where is the human conscience today? When will it wake up from its coma? And is there anyone listening to the pain and suffering of humanity?

The will to live is the strongest! This is what many personalities, decision-makers, and human rights parties say... But is the will to live truly the strongest in the absence of laws and legislation that protect humans and ensure their future?

Many questions may sound the alarm today! Humanity is in dire need of a ray of hope towards the safe haven... a place where the values of love, dialogue, and peace are sowed under mutual respect among all brothers and sisters on the planet earth.

Hence, the International Day of Conscience, which the United Nations has recognized on its international calendar on April 5th of each year, comes as a reminder of the need to develop efforts to achieve tolerance and peace worldwide, to affirm the respect for human rights in all areas, and to enhance sustainable development.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of April 2025. It includes the Ecclesiastical and Liturgical Feasts of the various Families of Churches in the Middle East. In addition to international days identified by the United Nations, and which are related to the MECC identity and its spiritual and human mission.

Professor Michel Abs

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the machine age, humanity entered a new era characterized by liberating production capacity from the limitations of artisanal output to the vastness of mass production. This was made possible by machines supplying producers with an ever-increasing quantity of products, thereby meeting a larger portion of human needs and raising profit margins, which led to the accumulation of capital and the emergence of large-scale production corporations.

On the level of production, agricultural, industrial, and even commercial, technology contributed to improved marketing and distribution through low-cost products, and therefore competitive pricing, in an increasingly cutthroat market.

In other aspects of human life, housing, food, transportation, entertainment, technology played a vital role in advancing these domains.

The most sensitive area remains the medical field, where diagnostics and treatments have progressed beyond imagination, extending lifespans and making healthcare faster, more effective, and less painful than in the past.

If we delve deeper into the effects of technological advancement, we find countless areas where technology brought about positive changes that people welcomed, and even demanded.

However, the field that witnessed the most drastic technical advancement, to the point that it changed the face of humanity and caused cultural, social, psychological, and economic transformations, is information technology and its associated fields.

The computer, this small device - which began as a massive machine, and later the mobile phone, even smaller and sometimes more powerful than the computer, have fundamentally and irreversibly transformed humanity…

The hardships of time follow neither logic nor order, often pushing people into sorrow and despair.

Our dear colleague, Lea Adel Maamary, the Coordinator of the Church Relations and Media at the MECC, and an active media professional in service of both God and humanity for over a decade and a half, who never backs down from any challenge, no matter how difficult, has now lost her life partner, the successful and compassionate dentist, Dr. Michel Joseph Maamary, known for his generosity in treating the neediest people.

Dr. Michel Maamary was raised by parents with much humanity. His father served as a Priest for villages in Akkar under the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, known for his dedication to social and humanitarian service. Following in his father's footsteps, Michel grew into a remarkable man. Tragically, his brother, Boulos, a paramedic with the Lebanese Red Cross, was martyred while rescuing the wounded people during one of Lebanon’s many wars. He is considered as a martyr of the Lebanese Red Cross which center in Akkar carries his name.

Lea Adel Maamary, our strong and resilient colleague, vowed during her husband's funeral yesterday that their children, Boulos and Michella, are in safe hands. Under the guidance of their capable mother and the embrace of their loving family, they will continue the academic and humanitarian journey of this blessed family.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), which stood alongside Lea and her family during their time of grief, extends its deepest condolences for this painful and unexpected loss. The MECC tells them that they are blessed by God for the deeds of their parents and for the path they will follow in their footsteps.

Christ is risen!

Entitled "Witnesses and Martyrs in Anatolia"

He departs from us in body, the one who carried the See of Saint Mark on his shoulders and in his heart, after a life full of achievements and moments of truth during hard times,

He departs from us in body, leaving behind a legacy of knowledge, leadership, wisdom, and care,

He departs from us in body, the one who has been, in times of distress, a cornerstone, a support, and a reference,

Here is His Grace Archbishop Pachomius, Metropolitan of Beheira, Matrouh, and the Five Western Cities, entering into the Kingdom of the Lord, carrying his unparalleled talents,

This faithful servant was entrusted with much from the beginning, becoming a reference for his Church and community,

This Leader, filled with the spirit of Christ, Who resurrected on the third day, enters today into the world of eternity. His Church and the entire world bid him farewell, saying, May you be blessed for what your hands have done, O fruitful one,

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), which shares with the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate the sorrow of separation, says to the venerable Archbishop Pachomius, rest in peace, O man of a great heart, for the See of Saint Mark, which you have faithfully guarded and carried with great care, is in safe hands. MECC says to the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, Christ is Risen!